Soprano

Group dedicated to those who appreciate the wonderful voices of sopranos.

SOPRANOS

Highest female voice. Range from E3 (or operatically from C4) to C6. C4 is the middle C on the piano. Sopranos are classified as following:

1) COLORATURA: timbre: light voice; can sing through scale, hold notes or jump octaves very easily. Range: from around E3 to F6 in full voice. (1.1) (Piccolo) coloratura: the lightest and sweetest voice, they have great agility and they can do high and fast melissmas. A pure coloratura can hit C7 in full voice (super-head voice). (1.2) Lyric coloratura: slightly stronger voice than piccolo but not heavy, still high, agile and sweet. They can usually sing up to B-b6, but they must be able to hit F6. (1.3) Dramatic coloratura: they are considered “weird sopranos” and are the hardest to find. Their vocal chords are so special that have the power and stamina of a dramatic soprano when singing over large orchestras, and also the range and agility of a coloratura. Their voices are heavier and stronger than a lyric coloratura and lyric soprano and can hold notes longer. Their upper note is about B-b6 too or F6.

2) LYRIC SOPRANO: timbre: warm, beautiful, bright and crystal clear tone like coloratura’s, but stronger, with a full timbre. Range shorter, about E3 (or operatically C4 or B3) to C6 in full voice. 70% of women are lyric sopranos. It generally has a higher tessitura than a soubrette and usually plays ingenues and other sympathetic characters in opera. There are two types of lyrics: (2.1) Light lyric soprano – A light-lyric soprano has a bigger voice than a soubrette but still possesses a youthful quality. (2.2) Full lyric soprano – A full-lyric soprano has a more mature sound than a light-lyric soprano and can be heard over a bigger orchestra.

3) SPINTO SOPRANO: edgier sound and stronger voice, with more weight than lyric soprano. Can hold notes for a longer time without any vibratto. Range about E3 (C4) to C6/D6 in full voice. Also lirico-spinto, means in italian “pushed lyric”. This voice has the brightness and height of a lyric soprano, but can be “pushed” to dramatic climaxes without strain, and may have a somewhat darker timbre. It generally uses squillo to “slice” through the sound of a full orchestra, rather than singing over the orchestra like a true dramatic soprano. The spinto repertoire includes many roles written by Verdi, by the various verismo composers, and by Puccini. Some of these roles are extremely popular with opera audiences. Certain Wagnerian heroines such as Elsa, Elisabeth and Sieglinde are also sung by spinto sopranos. The fact that spinto sopranos are uncommon means that parts that are ideal for their voices are often performed by singers from other classifications, and more than a few lyric sopranos have damaged their voices singing heavier spinto roles.

4) DRAMATIC SOPRANO: haviest and most powerful soprano voice; they have more stamina to sing over large orchestras. Tessitura is lower than other sopranos. Range E3(C4) to D6. Thicker vocal folds in dramatic voices usually (but not always) mean less agility than lighter voices but a sustained, fuller sound. Usually this voice has a lower tessitura than other sopranos, and a darker timbre. They are often used for heroic, often long-suffering, tragic women of opera. Some dramatic sopranos, sometimes known as ‘Wagnerian sopranos’, have an exceptionally big voice that can assert itself over a large orchestra (of more than 80 or even 100 pieces). These voices are substantial, often denser in tone, extremely powerful and, ideally, evenly balanced throughout the vocal registers. ‘Wagnerian sopranos’ usually play mythic heroines. Such sopranos are very very rare (maybe 2 every 100 years).

5) MEZZO SOPRANO: literally “medium soprano” or middle female voice. With tessitura about a minor third lower than the lyric soprano. Timbre: very soulful, dark, smoky. Range is about C3 to B-b5. A coloratura mezzo-soprano has a warm lower register and an agile high register. The roles they sing often demand not only the use of the lower register but also leaps into the upper tessitura with highly ornamented, rapid passages. They have a range from approximately the G below middle C (G3) to the B two octaves above middle C (B5). Some coloratura mezzo-sopranos can sing up to high C (C6) or high D (D6), but this is very rare. What distinguishes these voices from being called sopranos is their extension into the lower register and warmer vocal quality. Although coloratura mezzo-sopranos have impressive and at times thrilling high notes, they are most comfortable singing in the middle of their range, rather than the top. Many of the hero roles in the operas of Handel and Monteverdi, originally sung by male castrati, can be successfully sung today by coloratura mezzo-sopranos. Rossini demanded similar qualities for his comic heroines, and Vivaldi wrote roles frequently for this voice as well.

My range is somewhere between alto and soprano -- such that I have been placed in both sections at different times in my (short and limited) singing experience. I would LOVE to be able to train my voice up into higher octaves, but since I'm past college and haven't done it so far I don't know if I ever will. As an alternative, then, I listen to sopranos and admire then from afar. :)